


hello, sweetie

by lostin_space



Series: my 12 (actually 13) days of gifts [3]
Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:07:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21807937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostin_space/pseuds/lostin_space
Summary: Alex is a special agent who pairs up with Travelers to fix the mistakes other Travelers have made. He's not too keen on his new partner.
Relationships: Max Evans & Alex Manes
Series: my 12 (actually 13) days of gifts [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1569967
Comments: 24
Kudos: 45





	hello, sweetie

**Author's Note:**

> day 3 of my 12 (actually 13) days of gifts! This one comes from an anon who sent me "I just read the funniest quote and immediately thought Alex. “When I’m feeling down and someone says ‘Suck it up,’ I get the urge to break their legs and say ‘Walk it off.’”" awhile ago. 
> 
> This story is a lot of set up for an au that I hope to delve into a lot more into the future. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> the title is a reference to doctor who and i accept no judgment

Alex Manes had dealt with a lot of shit in his life. Somehow, working with Private Max Evans was proving to be worse than it all.

“You’re going to lose a hand if you don’t stop,” Alex said with as little irritation as he could manage. It was still a lot. Max was trying so, so hard to be a macho strong man which Alex should’ve known would happen.

When Alex had been appointed this mission, he’d also been given the chance to reject any partner he’d been given. That was the whole benefit of being highly ranked. Still, he always felt bad whenever he saw the excited faces of the young Privates that so badly wanted to learn from him. He never wanted to steal it away. Even if that meant working with Max fucking Evans.

Currently, he was holding up a massive metal beam that was bolted down on one side and didn’t really need to be held up by the other side. Alex had tracked down the ambiguously titled Target beneath the beam that was covering something that looked like a locked submarine hatch. The beam didn’t need to be held up until _after_ Alex figured out how to open the lock that was beneath it. Which meant, if Max’s arms gave out, he’d not only crush his hands but the lock as well. 

Basically, he was an idiot.

“I’ll suck it up, Sir.”

Alex sighed, “You know, when people tell me to ‘suck it up’, I feel the urge to break their legs and say ‘walk it off’. Are _you_ going to walk off breaking your hands and ruining the mission, Private?”

Max looked up at him for a moment, hesitation all over his face. Then he very carefully put the beam down once again.

“I’m just trying to help, Sir.”

“I know, just… pace yourself,” Alex said, doing his very best to be patient with his shitty partner. Max somehow managed to look up at him while also being nearly a head taller. How were they the same age? “We don’t really know what’s down there, only that the Commissioner wants it brought back and safe and in one piece. We can’t crush the latch.”

“Yes, Sir, sorry.”

Alex ushered Max out of the way before carefully crouching down. The hatch was rusted and looked like it hadn’t been touched in years. It didn’t make sense. If there was something hidden in there for years, then why in the world was he only put on the case now? 

Or, perhaps it was one of those things that hadn’t been there until now.

You see, time was a funny little thing in his field. While most of the world didn’t notice little inconsistencies that came with time travel, his line of work involved years and years of training to spot the things that were inconsistent. Whenever most people recognized, it was simply a funny little thing that they remembered wrong. To him and people like him, it was a red flag of a Traveler fucking up.

Private Max Evans was a Traveler. It was a breed of human that could hop time at their will. People who couldn’t, Sedentaries, weren’t _aware_ this was possible unless they went into the field of it. They wanted to keep it that way.

Centuries ago, or perhaps less, perhaps more, a Traveler named Henry Conleth had realized that things were impossible this way. Sedentaries were confused, things were changing, everyone was reckless. He, along with almost all the other Travelers, agreed to create a league of both Travelers and Sedentaries to protect the concept of time.

Now, centuries later or perhaps not, Alex Manes, a Sedentary, was working with a Traveler who had never traveled to look for a Target that was most likely a product of a far too experienced Traveler. 

“Max, what are the odds that this is actually a buried submarine?” Alex asked. Travelers in their Private stage were taught to memorize everything needed through history and the future which were simply the same thing in wrong directions.

“Um, unlikely,” Max said, “We’re in the middle of the midwest. There’s no bodies of water anywhere, nor have there been any bodies of water in this area since long before submarines were invented.”

Alex ran his finger over the rusted lock and then looked at the metal beam that seemed bolted and also partially buried. It was two separate things. Or, maybe not. Maybe it was deliberate. Or maybe the beam was always there and then something went awry with a rouge traveler. 

“Mm, and in the future?” Alex asked even though he already knew the answer. Max licked his lips and squeezed his eyes shut, searching his mind. Somehow, he got the one damn Private who _didn’t_ find the future more interesting than the past. “Should I request someone else?”

“No, no,” he said, shaking his head, “I think there might be a body of water here, but not for, like, centuries. Like a very long, long while.”

“But it’s possible?” Alex clarified. Max shrugged before nodding. “This thing probably popped up in the wrong place in time. My guess is a young Traveler got a little too excited.”

“You can travel with something as big as a submarine?” Max asked almost wistfully. Alex chuckled and decided not to answer. They didn’t teach them that. That led to crazy ideas.

Whoever moved this had one crazy idea.

“Alright, can you tell me, by this hatch, where this vessel might’ve come from? What year? What country?” Alex quizzed. Max’s whole face morphed into confusion.

“I’ve never studied submarines, I have no idea, Sir” he answered. Alex huffed.

“You should.”

Alex reached in his back and pulled out a small chisel, chipping away at the rust that covered the ridges and the locks. He tried his best to get the parts that even the beam was covering.

“From the looks of it to me, it’s a World War II era U-Boat,” Alex explained.

“I thought they were all sunk and raided,” Max said. Alex looked up at him and felt that very familiar chill of excitement that had been the exact reason he’d gotten into this field.

“They were,” he agreed, “And some Traveler went back and stole it.”

Alex chiseled away at it for a few minutes before Max got the hint and grabbed his own chisel. It took a while, but they eventually got all the rust out of the creases in the lock and the opening port. Alex dug in his bag for a screwdriver.

“So, whenever you learn how to travel, this part will be easier,” Alex said, “You can just go back, steal the key for it, and then bring it back to the precise time you stole it from.”

“I can’t wait, Sir.”

“Yeah, just don’t get caught.”

He fiddled with the lock for far too long, more trying to will it open than actually being successful. It was an old lock and wasn’t a fan of being tampered with and Alex could see the way the thinner metals around the lock were bending to his efforts. It made him a bit anxious about the insides.

But then they heard a click.

“Hurry, move the beam,” Alex instructed, preparing to wedge a flashlight between his teeth. Max did as he was told. “I’ll be down there for five minutes at the most. Can you hold it up for that long?”

“Absolutely, Sir,” Max said, nothing short of 100% dedication in his eyes. Alex believed him.

Carefully, Max lifted the beam and Alex opened the hatch as high as it would go. He had to slip in between it, holding too many things at once in an attempt not to fall or crush his hand. It was annoying at best.

Still, Alex made his way inside the dark sub and started his mental clock. Five minutes.

Alex took the flashlight out of his mouth and turned it on, searching the U-Boat for sign of, well, anything. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for, only that he’d know when he found it. He moved quickly, looking for anything that screamed _Traveler_.

And that’s when he saw a body.

It was curled up in a ball on the floor, pressed into the wall. The person had a head full of dark curls that seemed wet and was wearing clothes that also looked like they were drenched. They also looked perfect for the time of a boy in 1930s Germany.

“Hello?” Alex called softly, “Are you conscious?”

Slowly, slowly, the boy lifted his head. His face was bruised and bloody, but his eyes held an all-knowing look Alex had only seen in very old Travelers. 

“Alex,” he said, his voice something so familiar that it was shocking to know that he had never heard it before. He took a step back. It was never a good sign for a stranger to know your name.

“Do I know you?” Alex said authoritatively.

The boy, as beaten and battered as he was, smiled.

“Not yet.”

**Author's Note:**

> also on my tumblr: spaceskam


End file.
